Magnetic disk for shuffleboard tables



Nov. 21, 1950 c. METZ MAGNETIC DISK FOR SHUFFLEBOARD TABLES Original Filed Sept. 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

1 \4 awe/5 row/5e METZ Nov. 21, 1950 c. METZ 2,530,896

MAGNETIC DISK FOR SHUFFLEBOARD TABLES Original Filed Sept. 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet z fi q @Sm 5'0 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 21, 1950 MAGNETIC DISK FOR SHUFFLEBOARD TABLES Christopher Metz, Baldwin, N. Y.

Original application September 8, 1944, Serial No.

553,163. Divided and this application December 5, 1945, Serial No. 632,878

2 Claims. (01. 273-128) This invention relates to improvements in shuffieboard games.

The present application is a division of application Serial No. 553,163, filed September 8, 1944 for shuflleboard games, which application is directed to features of the shuffleboard game board, while the present application is directed to the disks and game set including the disks.

An object of the invention is to provide a shuffleboard disk and game set adapted to automatic scoring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shuffleboard disk and game set adapted to automatic differential scoring of the disks of two players.

With these and still other objects which are apparent in the following full description in mind, the invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts and details of construction which will now first be fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, and then be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a shufilebcard game embodying the invention in a preferred form of embodiment;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a wiring diagram.

The game comprises a smooth shuflleboard playing surface I, of generally rectangular form and made of wood, plastic or other suitable material, over which surface the various shuffleboard disks 2 are slid by the players. The surface I is supported by the box-like structure or housing composed of the bottom c, ends 5 and 6, and side walls I, which latter walls extend up above the playing surface throughout the major part of its length, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and carry a transparent cover 8, of glass or other suitable material, so that the playing surface is divided into a long rearward covered portion and a shorter forward open portion. The disks are placed on the forward portion by the player and propelled along the playing surf-ace to the other end thereof, the cover 8 preventing interference therewith during passage along the playing surface and also being close enough to the playing surface to prevent edgewise movement of disks or overlapping of one disk over another. A spacing, such as indicated, in which the clearance between playing surface I and cover 8 is about one and #5 one-half times the thickness of the disks, is satisfactory. The shufileboard structure is mounted on legs 9, shown fragmentarily in Figure 2, at a suitable height, generally about thirty inches. The far end of the playing surface 1 is marked with a scoring field ill, which may assume a variety of forms, but is illustrated for simplicity as of rectangular form and comprising plurality of square scoring spaces H. Each space will normally be marked with a scoring indication corresponding to the difficulty of placing and maintaining a disk therein, so that a players total score is determined by the number of disks within scoring spaces and the value of the spaces. As indicated in Figure 1, thedisks 2a and 21) have not yet been played while the disk 20 is in a scoring space, the disk Ed is in a nonscoring position overlapping the boundary line of a space, and the disk 26 has been slid too far so as to be in a nonscoring portion of the playing surface beyond the scoring field l0.

Authomatic scoring means, as later described in detail, is provided and operates a bank of lights l2 (Figures 2 and 3), the rear wall 6 being eX-.

tended upward to form a backboard for supporting the same and a housing 13, attached thereto and having a, translucent front M, being provided. The lights may be of different colors such as red and blue as indicated in Figure 3 and are separated from each other in pairs by partitions 15 within the housing l3. As will be understood, the translucent panel I4 may carry suitable numbers forming scoring indicia in front of the lights, so that the translucent scoring panels indicate by red lighted numbers the score of one player and by blue lighted numbers the score of the other. Various other scoring arrangements including automatic cumulating devices, and which are well known in the art, may be used.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, means is provided for returning disks to the players and comprises a bar it movable back and forth along the playing surface I underneath the top 8. The bar l 6 is carried by means of members I? which ride in slots 18 on sprocket chains i9, which are held in position and operated by the idlesprocket wheels 20 mounted on a rearward shaft 2| and by the driving sprocket wheels 22 which are mounted on a forward shaft 23 and driven by means of electric motor '24. As will be apparent, energizing the motor 24 will cause the bar It to move forwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 to a position above the sprocket wheels 22 thus pushing any disks on the playin surface out from under the cover a into a and 29 of these devices.

in scoring position over a registering device will 3 position accessible to the player. Return movement of the bar M3 to the position of Figure 2 puts the playing surface again into condition for use.

Means is provided for registering disks in scoring position and also for differentiating between the disks belonging to dififerent players. This is accomplished by embedding in each disk 2 a magnet 25, one set of disks having the north pole uppermost and the other having the south pole uppermost. Below each scoring position is located a means for registering the position or a disk above the same. This means may be formed very simply and comprises merel a small magnet 26 carried on a spring contact arm 2? which makes contact with either an upper contact 23 or a lower contact 29 according to the movement f the magnet 26. If, now, we suppose that the north portions of the magnets 26 are uppermost any such magnet will be attracted by a disk which is in scoring position, if the disk also has its north pole uppermost, and will be repelled by an disk in scoring position which has its south pole uppermost. One of these registering devices will accordingly indicate any disk in scoring position and will also indicate the polarity of the disks or the player to which they belong.

Referring now to the wiring diagram of Figure 4, two banks of lights with the lights of each bank being differentiated by the letters R and B to indicate red and blue, as shown, it being understood that the number of pairs of lights may be any number desired, only two pairs being shown as the connections of all pairs are similar.

Each pair of lights has a common connection 3%? to a power line 3| from the secondar of transformer 32. The center contact members or armatures El of the registering devices are connected through connections 33 to the other power line 3 2 leading to the secondary of transformer 32 and the red and blue lights respectively are connected to the upper and lower contacts 28 Accordingly, an disk bring its armature 2'? into contact with either the contact 28 or the contact is and will accordingly close the circuit through a red or blue light in the corresponding position on the scoreboard, depending on polarity of the disk. Should a disk be knocked out of scoring position during the play, it will cease to operate the armature 27 and its score will accordingly be canceled.

The device will normally be coin controlled, any convenient known coin control switch being employed for this purpose. The common type of switch S1, in which the pusher of the coin slot closes contacts and also winds a small clock work which keeps them closed for an interval of will normally be used, the clock work determining the time allowed for a game. B means of .a rod 35, or other conventional connection, the

slide is also connected to a switch S2 which is conveniently of the ordinary snap-action rotary type, the movable member 37 making contact with contact 38 or 39, depending on the switch position. At the start of a game, this switch will normally be in contact with contact 39, and will be moved over to contact 33 to establish con= nection for the motor 2-; in the forward direc tion, this circuit leading from the power line L1 through switch switch S2, motor winding F and the motor armature, and back to power line L2. The motor E l will proceed to move the pusher bar it from the position of Figure 2 forwardly toward the player, sweeping the disks before it into accessible position. This motion continues until the pusher bar reaches switch S2, at which time it strikes this switch and rotates the contact member so as to break contact 38 and establish contact 39. This cuts off the current for the motor in a forward direction and establishes a circuit through the reverse winding G of the motor so that the pusher bar is returned to the position of Figure 2. The switch S3 is an ordinary limit switch arranged to be open when the pusher bar is in the position of Figure 2 and it closes when the pusher bar moves forwardly away from it. Accordingly, when the pusher ba reaches the position of Figure 2 it opens the s i ch S3, stopping the motor. All parts are now in condition for commencement of a game. Power is also supplied for the primary of the raps-former :52 through lines so and 41 and is c ntrolled by the switch S1. Accordingly, the coring lights will remain on until the timer witci S1 breaks contact.

What is claimed is:

l. A shuilleboard disk comprising a disk body and a magnet with its opposite poles adjacent the center or" disk and embedded in said disk body in position to make the faces of said disk of opposite magnetic polarity.

2. A shufilecoard disk comprising a disk body and a bar magnet embedded in said disk body CITED The following references are of record in the of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 1313,0 Schutz Dec. 26, 1911 i,605,703 Brown Nov. 2, 1926 l,6a2,3o9 'Mader Mar. 29, 1927 1,888,980 Dingledine NOV. 29, 1932 2,948,275 Luse July 21, 1936 2,138,123 Ebert Sept. 13, 1938 2,277,657 Bach Mar. 24:, 1942 

